Dying alone in Japan

There is a bestselling manga in Japan called "stargazing dog" about a middle aged man who was fired from his job due to downsizing, had his wife and children leave him, and ended up dead of neglect in the middle of a field.

the author insists it was not a sad book.

A manga titled “Stargazing Dog” starts with the discovery of the skeletal remains of the protagonist who lost his job and family and died in an isolated field with his dog at his feet. However, Takashi Murakami, 54, author of the manga, said this is not a tragic story. “He was not unhappy at all,” Murakami said of the protagonist. Murakami objects to characterizations of people who die alone as sad “losers in life” who have not prepared for death. Of course, the author says, people who do not want to die alone should receive help and support. What he objects to is the classification that all isolated deaths indicate the person has lived an unhappy life.

most of those who die, die alone in their own homes, neglected by their families.

The author feels society has unfairly attached labels to those who die alone and those who die surrounded by loved ones.

WINNERS, LOSERS OF LIFE “The ‘winners’ might be the group of people who can disperse the risks and avoid living in isolation,” said Midori Kotani, 50, president of a research center for senior citizens who specializes in clinical thanatology.

Eight years ago, Kotani, who also teaches at Rikkyo Second Stage College in Tokyo, lost her husband. His death spurred Kotani to form a group to help people maintain their lifestyles after their partners die. “If you want to avoid isolation or a lonely death, it is important to connect to people other than family members who can be relied upon when you are still vigorous,” Kotani said.

Akihisa Kono, 50, who runs a surgical hospital in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, saw many lonely death cases when he was a medical examiner in the prefecture. Kono said that Japan’s wealthy and convenient society helps to free us from the troubles of meeting people face-to-face.

But, he added, “The communication skills of people are worsening regardless of age, which widens the disconnect within a community and between generations and leads to isolation.” Since the first half of the 1990s, the number of “muen botoke,” people who die alone and go unnoticed, even by their children or relatives, has been rising in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture.

The number started surging after fiscal 2005. Alarmed by the trend, the city four years ago started supporting “Shukatsu” (preparing for death) for people who live alone and are financially strapped. Kazuyuki Kitami, a social worker at the welfare division of Yokosuka city, said changes in society are fueling the trend in lonely deaths. “It is not about losing bonds but rather the environment has made it easier to sever bonds,” Kitami said.

He said sharp social changes can be traced back to two time periods: in 1990, when the average family size shrank to three members or fewer, and the 2000s, when the use of cellphones spread. People now have fewer immediate relatives to connect with, and human relationships are maintained chiefly through smartphones.

Those who find themselves with few real-life connections may die alone, and their families or relatives might not care, he said. “What generates such an atmosphere that even relatives don’t receive the remains? I think we need to think about that question,” Kitami said.

and it's not just the eldely who disappear